Pope Benedict III

Pope Benedict III (790-17 April 858) was Pope from 855 to 858, succeeding Pope Leo IV and preceding Pope Nicholas I.

Biography
Benedictus was born in 790 AD in Rome, the son of Peter. Benedict was a cardinal at the San Callisto church (named for Pope Callixtus I, who was martyred in 222 AD) before being consecrated as pope in 855 AD, and he was known for his learning and piety. He faced an enemy in Antipope Anastasius, and he also had a firm stance against Constantinople. Benedict mediated during a war between Lothaire II of Lotharingia and Louis the German after the death of their brother Charles of Provence, and during his reign he was visited by Aethelwulf of Wessex and the future king Alfred the Great of Wessex. He died in 858 AD.